


Caught off Guard

by Rinnoa



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Getting Together, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 21:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6094807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinnoa/pseuds/Rinnoa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If anyone had told an 18 year old Axel that he'd be happily married to a guy he loves, and that the two of them would adopt a kid together, he would have probably punched them in the face or sent them to the nearest shrink. Of course, an 18 year old Axel couldn't have possibly know that he'd meet Roxas during a friend's birthday party. In hindsight, all of this was Demyx's fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught off Guard

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters.

If anyone had ever told an eighteen year old Axel that he’d fall in love too deeply to ever get out of it by his twenty third birthday, he would have laughed them in the face. If anyone had said that he’d be happily married to the love of his life few days after turning twenty seven, he would have most likely directed them towards the nearest shrink. And if anyone had ever told him that, few weeks shy of turning thirty one, he and his husband would be going to an orphanage to adopt a kid, he would have probably punched them in the face. After all, at eighteen, Axel had been aspiring to earn a reputation of a heartbreaker, who only ever needed a companion for one night, no matter how good of a lay they might have been, and who also happened to loathe kids, ever since his cousin’s three year old son vomited all over his vinyl collection.

Of course, an 18 year old Axel couldn’t have possibly predicted that his best friend, Demyx, would end up crushing on the nerdy guy working the counter in a small bookstore, where the two of them just so happened to step into during a particularly nasty storm. It was a chance encounter, considering neither of the two were particularly fond of reading and were easier found in a music store or even a bakery than in a _bookstore_. Zexion, who happened to be the nerdy guy working the counter that particular day, had glared at them with the passion that only an interrupted reader could muster. He’d told them that if they were planning on staying through the whole storm, they’d have to buy something. And, while Axel had mentally started insulting the guy in his head, Demyx blushed. That was the beginning of his long, endless fall, which had unconsciously caused an avalanche. An avalanche that even Axel wouldn’t be safe from. But that was for later.

As Axel had easily predicted, his best friend developed a crush on the annoying, nerdy guy working the counter in the small bookstore. Demyx went from avoiding any place that sold books to almost camping outside of Zexion’s workplace, if only to catch a glimpse of him through the window. Despite huge aspirations of becoming the next Freddie Mercury, Demyx was actually pretty shy and nervous around new people. And, while most people found him absolutely adorable because of that, Axel, as his best friend, silently judged him for that. Sometimes not so silently.

At first, everything was going fine. At least in Axel’s eighteen year old mind. Zexion absolutely _detested_ Demyx, and had threatened to call the cops if he’d heard the blond singing another ballad under the bookstore’s tiny window. Demyx had been crushed, but not enough to stop visiting the other boy when he worked. Which was every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. And, more often than not, he had dragged Axel with him, insisting it would make them less suspicious. Axel had honestly doubted that, considering Zexion’s annoyed glare directed their way from the moment they’d walked in, to the moment they’d left. But, since Demyx actually started _buying_ books, the slate-haired boy couldn’t complain.

It all went to shit approximately a year after Demyx’s crush began. Zexion, who had ignored the blond’s advances while making it perfectly clear that he was dating someone else, happened to have a vulnerable day at work one day. The one day that Axel hadn’t accompanied his friend to the bookstore, choosing to go on a date with that one hot brunet from his Advanced Chemistry course. When he’d returned to their shared flat the next morning, Demyx was beaming that thousand-watt smile of his, practically shoving his phone into the redhead’s face. Axel’s eyebrows furrowed at the contact, proudly dubbed as ‘Zexion'. As he’d later found out, Zexion’s boyfriend of three years had broken up with him, leaving the usually composed boy to brood silently. That was, apparently, how Demyx had found him, and, after half an hour of comforting the other boy, had managed to score a coffee date, during which the two found out that they actually had quite a lot in common and agreed to try being friends.

That day was the beginning of Axel-the-Heartbreaker’s inevitable end. Of course, the nineteen year old Axel couldn’t have possibly known that, and so he simply chose to be happy for his friend. Even though the concept of love was pretty foreign for him back then, and though he couldn’t understand why a young and quite attractive guy like Demyx would want to tie himself down like that, he still patted him on the back in a supportive manner.

Three months after that day, Demyx and Zexion had officially become a couple, which forced the redhead to spend more time with the slate-haired boy as well. Honestly, he hadn’t really forgiven Zexion for his jerkoff attitude just yet, and had always quietly expressed his disapproval at Demyx’s unfortunate choice of crushes to his best friend. But, after actually spending time with him, he begrudgingly admitted that the guy wasn’t so bad. Sure, he was just as nerdy as Axel had always feared he’d be, but he was surprisingly fun and easy to hang out with. He was smart and would occasionally engaged in a conversation about chemicals with the redhead, which surprised Axel greatly. Before then, only his chemistry professor back at college ever really willingly conversed with him about it. Plus, as nerdy as Zexion was, he was no pushover. He was witty and sarcastic to the bone, which was honestly amusing to watch. 

Of course, Axel had never truly believed that Demyx and Zexion’s relationship would last longer than a few months at most. Even if the two of them had a few similarities, in the end they were just too different to really last. Or at least, if they were normal people, that kind of logic could have been applied to them. But Zexion, who had skipped five grades and would be graduating from a Medical University on top of his class at the end of the semester despite being only 19 turning 20, and Demyx, who had surprisingly gained quite a few fans after doing gigs in various nightclubs, one of these fans being a manager of a well-known band  that just so happened to be looking for a new guitarist and backup vocalist, were not normal people.

Which is exactly how, at twenty one, Axel found himself in Demyx and Zexion’s _shared_ flat, celebrating the slate-haired boy’s birthday. The two of them had moved in together just few months before, and their relationship still had not left the whole honeymoon stage. Honestly, Axel had stopped believing it ever would.

Considering Demyx was the one throwing the party, Axel was impressed on how few people there actually were. Sure, the flat couldn’t really fit in that many people, but that had never stopped the blond from throwing parties in his and Axel’s old flat, which was even smaller. Another thing that was impressive was how few of these people Axel had actually known. Aside from Demyx and Zexion, he’d only recognized Xigbar and Larxene, who were currently doing shots and grinning at each other like madmen, Saïx, his ex-friend-with-benefits, who was talking to some tall, intimidating dude with silver hair, and Xion, the waitress at his favourite café and one of his good friends.

That day had been the beginning of _his_ fall, which was just as endless and sudden as Demyx’s. It was the day he’d met most of the people who he nowadays considered his closest friends, some of them even family. As he’d found out, most of the strangers were Zexion’s friends. When Axel had expressed his surprise at the surprisingly big circle of pals for an antisocial dude like Zexion, his ears were greeted with various snorts of amusement.

There was Lexaeus and Marluxia, who had known the slate-haired boy since childhood. Lexaeus, apparently, was also the infamous ex-boyfriend of three years. Then there were Xaldin and Xemnas, two rather intimidating guys, who, along with Saïx, had met Zexion during a _poetry_ night. The redhead was tempted to snort at the information, but refrained at the last moment. Xion and Xigbar, as he’d found out, used to work in the same bookstore as Zexion, but Xigbar had been fired for throwing darts at the books, and Xion had left for the sake of attaining a work closer to her university. Larxene and a blond guy named Luxord met him through Xigbar, and had apparently ‘stuck like leeches’. And finally, Zexion’s two friends from the Medical University. The first one, Vexen, had struck Axel as a really creepy and somewhat psychotic guy. And the second, well. The second was just his type, the kind of guy he’d woo and bed, only to leave him the morning after. Or, if he was a really amazing lay and a fun person to boot, perhaps even consider becoming sex-friends with. Of course, the twenty one year old Axel couldn’t have possibly expected that the little blond with amused blue eyes would become an anchor, pulling him down the pit, making him fall harder and faster and endlessly.

Roxas was a twenty year old guy, with dreams of becoming a pediatrician, who was also apparently Zexion’s best friend. Now, Axel had been a bit miffed at the information. After all, the guy had been dating Demyx, _Axel’s_ best friend, for around two years, and he’d hung out with the redhead enough times to consider them close friends, and yet during all this time Axel had never once heard about Zexion’s extremely fuckable best friend. Deciding to change that unfortunate ‘strangers’ relationship between him and the younger blond, he’d approached the other man with his best coquettish smile.

As Axel had quickly found out, Zexion’s best friend had an incredibly powerful right hook, an equally powerful left stomp, and had mastered the language of sarcasm and biting remarks. While not all of Axel’s conquests had been a success, he had never walked away from someone that had rejected him with a feeling of such incredible failure. He’d pointedly ignored Zexion’s knowing smirk, or Larxene’s loud cackling, and promptly poured the entirety of his alcoholic drink into his mouth.

It didn’t take him long to find out that Roxas was like the word you had no idea existed until you read it in some random newspaper, only to have it suddenly appear in every other written article. Axel had quickly gone from never knowing the blond to suddenly noticing him in various locations throughout the town. As it turned out, Roxas had been a regular at Axel’s favourite café for the past year, introduced to the place by Xion, who turned out to be the blond’s best friend. Then there was a music store that Axel frequented, because it had a vast collection of rock music and had a decent vinyl display. Roxas had been working part-time in there for the past two years, though he had to change his shift recently due to an incredibly tense schedule. Not to mention that, every other time while he’d be visiting Demyx and Zexion, the blond would be there.

It was surprising how quickly the two of them had actually become friends. As soon as Axel had reassured him that he wouldn’t try to get him into bed anymore, Roxas’ hostile attitude seemed to evaporate within seconds. Actually, the blond had even apologized for punching him in the face, because though he had most certainly deserved it for groping him, he shouldn’t have used half of his strength. Axel tried to pretend that the fact that the blond had only used half of his strength terrified him, though the smirk on the younger man’s face confirmed it wasn’t working.

At first, Axel had honestly backed off from Roxas. They had decided to be friends, and the redhead liked him well enough to not want to screw that friendship up, no matter how attractive he considered the blond. Roxas was fun to be around. Extremely sarcastic, but a great conversationalist, with a nice sense of humour. Plus, as it turned out, he had been dating a guy called Riku for the past year and a half. No matter how much of a dick people might have seen Axel as, he wouldn’t sleep with someone taken. That was just too much mess, even for him.

With Demyx’s music career and Zexion’s busy days as an intern in the local hospital, both Axel and Roxas had found themselves missing their best friends. And so they had turned to each other. As weeks flew by, the two of them had started spending more and more time together. Whether it was in an arcade, or in a cinema to see the screening of that new sci-fi film they both had wanted to see since they’ve seen the trailer. Soon enough, Axel had told Roxas everything about his alcoholic father who he thankfully hadn’t seen for the past seven years, and about his mother, who had worked her ass off to support her two sons and herself.  In return, Roxas told him about _his_ mother, who went crazy after her husband walked out on the family and hung herself in the basement, forcing five kids into orphanage, and one, the eldest that had turned eighteen just few weeks prior, to rely on himself. The orphanage was also where he’d become close with his boyfriend, Riku, who had visited him and his siblings every day. And, as Axel watched the content smile on the blond’s face at the mention of his silver-haired boy-toy, he couldn’t supress the sudden stab of jealousy.

It all went downhill from there. Three months later he’d realized that he’d been bedding no one but blondes with blue eyes, and by his twenty second birthday, he’d stopped sleeping around, not really finding anyone appealing enough. No one aside from Roxas, who had also become conveniently single two days before. When the blond had called him that night and told him that he’d ended things with Riku in a broken whisper, he felt like he shouldn’t have felt as giddy and excited. That, perhaps, he should have felt more compassion for his friend, who was clearly upset over the whole break up, despite being the one to end things. When Axel had asked him why exactly he had broken up with him, Roxas had said something that made the redhead’s heart burn. With what, he wasn’t quite sure back then.

“He’d been really jealous over the past few months. He… he said that I shouldn’t meet with you anymore, and that’s fucking stupid. I mean, you’re my best friend, there’s no way I’d stop talking with you just because he told me to. It was really unfair, too, because I never told him to stop talking with Sora even though I was sometimes jealous of their relationship too, you know?  Plus… I dunno, it just didn’t feel right lately. Whenever he’d kiss me, I wouldn’t feel this… pull, or satisfaction or whatever. It’s like, it just became a habit, one of us comes home and the other gives him a kiss. Nothing romantic, just a habit. Which, technically, should be good, but it wasn’t. It would be good, _it was good_ , when the habit felt like something natural. But nowadays it just felt like a chore? Like, yeah I gotta kiss him, whatever. Plus he told me to stop being friends with you! Come on, that was really fucking shitty of him”

Axel, of course, had agreed wholeheartedly, and promised to help Roxas get wasted during his birthday. And wasted he got, slurring his words and laughing at the weirdest shit, like that one chick’s really bright yellow dress, or a guy’s moustache. Axel, who also wasn’t exactly sober, but nowhere near as gone as his blond friend, had found the whole thing endearing. Or, well, would have, if Roxas hadn’t picked a fight with the toughest looking guy in the club. No, that made Roxas more badass than endearing, considering he’d knocked the guy out in few swift punches, despite being highly intoxicated.

It was the morning after, when Axel woke up with a hangover and Roxas partially on top of him, snoring quietly without a care in the world, looking like an absurdly adorable mess, not yet suspecting that he’d wake up with a hangover much worse than Axel’s. It was that morning, on the ninth of August, a day after Axel’s twenty second birthday, that the redhead had realized that he had a crush on Roxas. Quite frankly, the realization scared the shit out of him, and he’d pushed the blond off of him none to gently, hoping against hope that the warmth in his cheeks wasn’t a blush, knowing it was when, seconds later, Roxas’ pained moan reached his ears and made his cheeks redden even more.

Demyx had been the first one to realize. At first, he’d just send the redhead’s way those shit-eating, all-knowing grins, but then he’d started talking, and by talking Axel meant gushing and squealing. He’d went on and on, on how he had known Axel would fall in love one day, or how his crush on the blond had been so obvious for months, because ‘Really Ax, you know his full name, favourite bands, favourite colour, favourite ice cream flavour, his siblings’ names, favourite movie, favourite and least favourite _everything_ , **and** you let him borrow your hoodies. You had never even allowed _me_ to borrow your hoodies’. And, in that horrifying moment, Axel had realized that he had, in fact, never allowed anyone else to borrow his hoodies, not even his brother.

It had taken him seven months to admit to himself that he was, in fact, in love with Roxas Strife. But when he’d finally come to terms with it, he’d felt as though a huge burden had been lifted from his chest. It was actually so hilariously simple and obvious that he’d wondered why it had taken him so long to accept it. Roxas had been his best friend for almost two years. Underneath all the tough guy act, he was really caring and loving, and surprisingly domestic. Apparently having four younger siblings did that to a person. He’d taken care of Axel when he’d developed a particularly nasty flu, and he’d watched all of his favourite films with him, even if he found them extremely shitty. During the last couple of months, he’d been over far more often than in the past, and ever since Axel had given him the spare key, the redhead would sometimes wake up to a wonderful smell of pancakes, and the sight of the blond swinging his hips to the radio as he handled the frying pan. The realization that they had been pretty much dating for the last couple of months, and the fact that he was in love with that sarcastic little shit, downed on him when the two of them were watching some horror. Roxas had been sitting next to him, closer than what would have been considered normal for two friends, clad in the redhead’s favourite hoodie, staring intently at the screen. And, as Axel watched him, he’d accidentally let one sentence slip.

“Rox, I don’t mean to scare you, but I think we’ve been dating for the past three months”

Slowly, the blond’s eyes left the screen and shifted to Axel’s face. The two stared at each other for a surprisingly not awkward moment, considering the situation.

“That’s a load of crap” the blond had finally said, his eyes never leaving the redhead’s face. Just before Axel’s heart could crumble to pieces as the meaning of the words hit him, Roxas continued “It’s been at least six months. I mean, come on, I made you pancakes in September. I don’t make pancakes for just anyone, Ax”

The teasing smirk had never left the blond’s face, not even when Axel had captured his lips in the first of endless kisses the two would share. Not until the redhead’s left hand squeezed his ass, causing him to moan, that is. Then it was Axel’s turn to smirk, their affectionate kisses quickly turning more heated, the horror movie long forgotten. Just like the clothes.

Neither of them felt like they had moved particularly too fast. Since both of them agreed that they had been dating since at least September, and considering they had known each other for even longer, the fact that they had survived this long without kissing each other could have been considered a miracle. And so, when Axel had asked Roxas to move in with him a few days after they had officially become an item, the blond agreed with a grin on his face, pointing out that quite a lot of his stuff had already been accumulated in the redhead’s flat anyway, considering the frequency of their sleepovers in the past seven months.

Demyx and Larxene had thrown a party for them, stating that all the sexual tension between them was becoming unbearable and that, if neither of them had acted on it, either Demyx or Larxene would have helped them. Axel was quietly very glad that he and Roxas had talked it out, because knowing Larxene, that crazy psycho would have tied them together to a double-side vibrator or something equally terrifying.

Before meeting Roxas’ family, Axel had met his ex. The meeting with Riku had gone relatively well, not nearly as awkward as it possibly could have been. It was a chance meeting, they had run into the silver-haired youth when they were shopping for some new furniture. The redhead had often imagined how their face-off would go. He had seen enough shows about crazy exes that demanded their lovers back to know he shouldn’t underestimate his enemy. Riku, however, had simply greeted the two of them, asked Roxas if he was happy, and stated that he had known all along. Apparently, after meeting and befriend Axel, Roxas had started to smile and laugh more, got that twinkle in his eye that had never been there when Riku and him were going out. As the redhead watched the blond blush, he felt weirdly pleased with himself. With one last ‘You better take care of him or I’ll kill you’ from Riku, which would have been more intimidating if the silver-haired boy hadn’t said it with a good-natured smile, the couple went their own way.

In hindsight, Axel should have known better than to tell his mother about Roxas’ existence through the phone. Not even a week after their conversation, which involved a lot of squealing on his mother’s part, she had appeared in front of their flat. Since Roxas was the only one home back then, he had to deal with her on his own. By the time the redhead had made it back from work, it was already too late. His mother and boyfriend had become the best of friends, exchanging stories on a sofa and eating spaghetti. If the sight wasn’t quite as endearing, Axel might have thrown a fit when he heard his mother telling the story that involved green hair and a sixteen year old Axel.

“You were so cute as a kid” Roxas murmured, tucking one red strand of hair behind Axel’s ear when the two of them were getting ready for sleep.

“You mean I’m not cute anymore? I’m hurt Rox” he murmured back, giving his lover a lazy kiss. He could feel Roxas’ smile against his lips, and automatically returned the grin.

“Mm, you’re adorable” the blond hummed against his lips, tangling one of his hands in the red hair.

“Nah, I’m sexy” stifling Roxas’ laughter with his own mouth, he’d let his hands wander, exploring the skin he had become so familiar with, but never had enough of rediscovering.

He’d met Roxas’ entire family a few weeks after his twenty fourth birthday. When Roxas had first said that his older brother was getting married, Axel hadn’t really realized there was a hidden question behind the statement. Not till Roxas had taken him suit-shopping, stating he couldn’t look like a slob during his older brother’s wedding. And so, before the redhead even knew what hit him, their plane had landed in Nibelheim and a perky black-haired man was picking them up.

Zack Fair, as it turned out, was Roxas’ brother’s fiancé. He was a cheerful and talkative guy, who cracked some really horrible jokes, but who had some of the most amazing stories to tell. Apparently, back when he was nineteen, he ended up beating up some purse-snatcher on a beach with an _umbrella_. He met Cloud when his ex-girlfriend, Aerith, left him for _Cloud’s_ ex-girlfriend, Tifa. Axel had honestly no idea what to think of that statement, so he’d remained quiet.

Cloud was Zack’s polar opposite. He was more quiet and reserved, and clearly wasn’t much of a touchy person. He’d greeted Axel with a reserved glance and a reluctant introduction, before disappearing into the kitchen. Roxas had rolled his eyes at his brother’s behaviour, reassuring the redhead that he was just being difficult and stubborn in his own way. Axel had no time to nod before his boyfriend was tackled to the ground by a blur of brown and blond.

Ventus, the blond blur, was _not_ Roxas twin, though he could have easily passed as one. He was the youngest of the Strife family, being only 17 at the time, and looked almost exactly like Axel’s boyfriend. He was a bit shorter, and his hair was a bit darker, but aside from that, the two were identical.

And then there was Sora, the brown blur, who Axel was pretty sure was actually related to Zack, not Roxas. He was bubbly and cheerful, talking a mile per minute, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm that Axel had seen only Demyx and Zack possess. He was a year younger than the redhead’s boyfriend, and was currently living in Traverse Town with his girlfriend, Kairi. Apparently, Roxas’ ex, Riku, was his best friend, and though Sora had been a bit disappointed to hear about their break up, he had greeted Axel warmly into the family.

Now Vanitas, the second youngest and just barely 18, had only scowled and brushed past the redhead. Axel had barely managed to stop himself from hitting the younger kid, reminding himself that it wouldn’t score him many points with Roxas’ family. The blond had simply sighed and apologized for his younger brother’s behaviour, sheepishly admitting that it might have been his fault, since he had been identical when he was eighteen.

“You sure you changed?” the redhead smirked, avoiding the blond’s light punch with the trained precision that only couples who had been dating long enough could developed.

Their little moment had been witnessed by the last of the Strife siblings, Roxas’ twin sister, Naminé. She had giggled at their ministrations, enveloping both her brother and the redhead in a warm hug. Out of all of Roxas’ siblings, Axel had found her the easiest to talk to. She was pretty quiet, but readily answered all of the redhead’s questions and even shared some stories.

After Axel had survived Cloud and Zack’s wedding, which was a few days later, he’d realized that he’d really truly loved Roxas, and couldn’t imagine his life without the little blond by his side. After all, it must have been true love, if you still loved someone after meeting all of their crazy relatives and friends. And boy, were Roxas’ loved ones insane.

There were Tifa and Aerith, the grooms’ ex-girlfriends, who had been happily married for the past three years and who were every bit as weird as Axel had suspected they would be. Then there were Terra and Angeal, Zack’s cousins, who were surprisingly normal compared to the black-haired groom. Aqua, Terra’s girlfriend, and Kairi, Sora’s girlfriend, were both pretty nice as well. Yuffie, on the other hand, was an insane ball of infinite energy, and together with Roxas’ cousin, Rikku, formed a formidable force. Yuna, who was actually only Rikku’s cousin, and not the Strife siblings’, was a much calmer person. Which couldn’t have been said about her fiancé, Tidus. And of course, no one should forget to mention Barret, an intimidating guy that had almost crushed Axel’s hand during their introduction. There were a few others, like Riku and his four insane older brothers, some dude called Genesis that kept reading some book called ‘Loveless’ throughout the whole ceremony, a chick called Cissnei that Axel had actually recognized as one of his brother’s co-workers, and a bunch of other people.

“Your family is insane” he’d confessed to Roxas while the two of them were dancing to some slow song, absolutely refusing to let go of the blond ever again, in case Rikku had been lurking around, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal Axel for another crazy dance. The chick was _insane_.

“Yeah, I know” Roxas had admitted with a grin, pecking the redhead on the cheek in an affectionate manner.

“You’re lucky I love you” he’d grunted, eyeing Yuffie distrustfully when he’d caught her giggling together with Rikku and Tifa. All three females were looking at them, and he didn’t like the look one bit.

“Mm, I know” the blond pulled him into a slow kiss, successfully shifting the redhead’s attention from the three women to his blond lover, neither of them minding the wolf-whistles or Zack and Terra’s drunken singing.

Roxas had proposed a year and a half later. Both of them had the weekend off and went on a three-day long trip to Destiny Islands, the place of Roxas’ birth. Their hotel was on the mainland, but they spent most of their time on one of the smaller islands, the one where Roxas and his siblings used to play when they were younger. It was pretty secluded, and they had only seen one other person there, a girl called Selphie that burst into tears upon seeing the blond. After Selphie had left, with promises of meeting up someday with the whole gang, the two of them continued their lazy afternoon. As soon as the sun started to set, Roxas had pounced on him, placing heated kisses against his lips, his cheeks, his eyelids, everywhere. Never one to miss a thrill of possible sex on the beach, which had secretly been on his bucket list since he’d turned 16, the redhead eagerly returned the kisses.

“Marry me” Roxas had moaned brokenly against his lips as the two of them were nearing their climaxes, the redness of the sunset enveloping them. Axel could only kiss him harder, all open mouths and tongue and passion and _love_ , as the blond cried out into his mouth, coming all over both of their chests.

Later on, when they were back in the darkness of their hotel room, the blond had clumsily put the ring on Axel’s finger, before pulling the redhead back onto their bed. That night, Axel’s loud moans as Roxas thrust into him, and the breathy whispers of ‘ _I love you_ ’s  filled the air, their clutched hands a constant reminder of their new relationship status, the ring digging into both of their sweaty skins.

The reactions to the news of their engagement varied depending on the person. Some were so excited they almost suffocated the pair with their hugs, mainly Axel’s mother, Sora and Demyx. Then there were the ones that wanted to throw a party for them, like Zack, Yuffie, Axel’s brother Reno, Marluxia, Xigbar, Luxord and Larxene. The calmest ones were, as expected, Cloud, Naminé and Zexion.

Their wedding, held on the thirteenth of August, few days after Axel’s twenty seventh birthday, had been, as expected, hectic and filled with insanity. Reno and Zack got wasted within an hour of the party. Elena, who was a lot like a sister to the redhead, couldn’t hold her alcohol at all and ended up confessing her love to Tseng, who had promptly spilled champagne all over the table. Reno’s best friend and Axel’s brother figure, Rude, had quickly developed a rather hilarious crush on Tifa. The poor fool had no idea she was a happily married lesbian, and no one had the heart to tell him. Vanitas and Larxene almost started a brawl, only to end up as best friends by the end of the night. Perhaps the only endearing thing about the whole wedding, aside from the fact that Axel was officially married to the love of his life of course, was how close Naminé and Xion had become. The two girls easily hit it off, and both Roxas and Axel had seen them exchanging phone numbers, blushes adorning both of their faces.

“You’re stuck with me forever” Roxas had said just seconds before they entered the hotel room, fingers intertwined.

“Good” was all Axel replied, swinging their joint hands like the happy fool he was. Grinning, the two of them fell on the bed, more than ready to spend their first night as a married couple.

Roxas was the one that bought up the topic of adoption. They were celebrating the blond’s thirtieth birthday, chatting away in the kitchen when Axel had asked how work was. Roxas slowly swallowed the food, his blue eyes meeting Axel’s.

“Lea dropped by again” he said quietly, carefully watching his husband’s reaction. The redhead nodded in understanding, squeezing the blond’s hand.

Lea was a four year old orphan that had first become Roxas’ patient five months prior. Axel had never met him, but Roxas’ eyes twinkled with enthusiasm whenever he spoke about the kid. Apparently, he reminded the blond about his husband a lot. He supposedly had the same untamed red hair, and brilliant green eyes. Even though his injured leg had healed nicely, Lea continued to visit the hospital, determined to see the kind Doctor Sinclair. Considering the orphanage was right beside the hospital, the boy’s trips were quite frequent.

“Ax I… I really want to adopt him” he said slowly, his eyes never leaving his husband’s. They had never really talked about kids before, and the blond wasn’t sure what kind of reaction to expect. He was pretty sure the redhead didn’t hate children, because he seemed to like Denzel, Cloud and Zack’s adoptive son, well enough. But that didn’t necessarily mean he’d want any of his own.

“Okay” Axel said finally, leaning over the table to place a reassuring kiss against Roxas’ lips. Honestly, he had never been truly fond of kids, and if the adoption question had come up five years ago, he might have refused. But he’d seen the twinkle in Roxas’ eyes whenever he’d talked about his young patients, and he’d seen the way the blond interacted with Denzel and Ariel, Sora and Kairi’s daughter. The sight was more endearing each time, and sometimes he’d wonder what it’d be like to have a kid with Roxas. And, hell, if that’s what the blond wanted, why would Axel say no?

Axel met Lea one day later, pulled into the orphanage by his excited husband. Some kids looked weirdly at their joint hands, but neither of them paid attention as Roxas talked with one of the caretakers. The lady had smiled brightly, informing them that they’d been awaiting their arrival, and had led them into one of the rooms.

An excited blur of red rushed into the room soon after, wide green eyes staring intently at the pair.

“Doctor Sinclair!” the boy jumped towards Roxas’ outstretched arms, hugging the blond tightly. Axel stared at his laughing lover, and at the four year old burying his head in Roxas’ shoulder, his heart filling with the familiar warmth.

“Hey Lea. I wanted to introduce you to someone very important. This is my husband, Axel. Ax, this is Lea” the smaller redhead lifted his head from Roxas’ shoulder, glancing at Axel with uncertain, but curious eyes.

“Hey squirt. I’ve heard a lot about ya” he ruffled the boy’s hair, laughing at the outraged yell of ‘Not the hair!’.

The couple talked with the boy for a good hour, before they had to leave, promising the small redhead that they’d be back. If Axel had been uncertain about the adoption before, all of his doubts had been washed away. It just felt right to see the kid giggling in Roxas’ arms as Axel shared one of the funny stories.

Axel wasn’t sure which strings Roxas had pulled, but their case had been looked over relatively quickly. At the end of June, after having filled all of the necessary paperwork and dealing with all other legal procedures, the two had gained the official right to adopt Lea into their little family. To say that they were thrilled was an understatement.

“Ax. Baby, we’re gonna be parents. Five more minutes and Lea will be here and he’ll be our _son_ ” Axel would have laughed at Roxas’ wide, excited eyes, if his expression wasn’t identical. Or he would have teased the blond for calling him ‘baby’, something he did only when he was truly excited. Instead of replying, he’d squeezed Roxas’ hand tighter, both of them staring at the door intently, wishing for it to finally open.

The situation felt surreal. For the past four months, they had been doing everything to guarantee the boy a comfortable lifestyle. They’d redecorated the guest room, turning it into Lea’s bedroom sometime in mid-May. They had painted the walls orange, which was the boy’s favourite colour, and filled the room with loads of toys. Some of them they had bought themselves, but most of them were gifts from their friends and family. Especially Demyx and Axel’s mom. And now, after months of waiting and visiting the smaller redhead in the orphanage, they could legally call themselves his _parents_.

Roxas placed a quick kiss on Axel’s cheek, before turning his attention back to the door. The redhead pulled him closer, both of them grinning widely as Lea rushed into the room, ignoring his old caretaker’s yells as he’d jumped into his new parents’ arms. 

As they left the orphanage, Lea’s left hand in Axel’s, and his right in Roxas’, all three of them were smiling widely, the new parents listening with attention to their son’s story about giant robots. And, as the taller redhead remembered how he had planned to spend his life back at 18, and how amazing it was that it turned out _completely_ differently, he couldn’t help but laugh quietly. It was amazing how one, blond boy had turned his world upside down.

Roxas’, as though reading his mind, glanced his way and winked. With a grin, Axel picked up a laughing Lea and placed him on his shoulders, affectionately pecking Roxas on the cheek. Their story was far from over, but Axel was confident it would be the type that ends in happy ending. Both of them were stubborn like that.

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, sorry for any embarrassing mistakes I might have made.


End file.
